Tobacco steaming and drying apparatus



April 21, 1925- 1,534,713

0. O. HUMPHFgEY Filed Feb. :s, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Patented Apr. 21,1925.

PATENT ORLANDO 0. HUM-PHREY, OF EAST LEAVENWORT-H, MISSOURI.

roraceo ermine AND perms Armames.

Application filed February 3, 1923. Serial No. 616.869.

T cell whom it may concern: 7

"Fe it known that I, ORLAN O O. HUM- 'P'HRLFJY, a citizen of the UnitedStatesyresiding at East Leavenworth, in the county of Platte and Stateof 'Missouri, have invented new and useful Improvements in TobaccoSteaming and Drying Apparatus,

or which the following is a specification."

This invention relates to improvements in 1 means for curing andtreating tobacco and has for an object the provision of means wherebythe heat of an internal combustion engine may be utilized either fordrying or moist-ening tobacco.

Another "object of the invention is the "rovision of means whereby anordinary ordson tractor may be converted into a drying or moisteningapparatus without in any manner inter'fering'with the tractor structure,or preventing its use for ordinary purposes, the construction being suchthat the moistening and drying apparatus may be removed or attached andreadily converted for either use.

With the above and other objects in view, the inven ion further includesthe following novel. features and details 3f construction, to behereinafter more full described, illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings an'd'pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings Figure l is a side elevation of a Fordson tractor withthe invention applied thereto and arranged for use as a moistener.

Figure 2 is an enlarged sectional view through the casing or containen.

Figure 3 is an enlarged detail sectional view taken transversely throughthe exhaust manifold and the heating chamber.

Figure 4 is a view showing a fragmentary portion of a tractor inelevation with a casing or boiler in section, the invention beingarranged for useas a drier.

Referring in detail to the drawingswherein like characters of referencedenote cor responding parts the invention is shown in Figure 1, arrangedfor use as a moistener. As shown in this figure there is positionedabove the tractor a casing 10, which, when used as a moistener isprovided with an arched or dome-like cover 11 having an escape porttherein from which extends an 'escapepipe 12. The cover 11 isremovablysecured to the casing by any's'ui'table means and a gasket 13 ispreferably provided to prevent leakage. i

The casing is supported above the traitor by means of a frame 14 ofsuitable structure, the said frame being bolted or otherwiseconveniently attached to the tractor structure, whereby it may beremoved when desired.

The casing 10 is divided means of a partition 15 into separatecompartments 16 and 17, the last mentioned compartment havingextendingtherefrom a neck 18 which is attached to the top of the neck of thefilling opening 19 of the radiator by means of a coupling or union 20. Awater circulation between the radiator of the tractor and the casing maythus be established and this water maypass from. the chamber l7 into thechamber 16 through valves 21 which aremanually controlled.

The exhaust manifold of the tractor which is indicated at 22is incommunication with one,'end of a pipe 23, the latter being connectedwith the exhaust manifold as indicated at 24. This pipe 23 "extends uward into the chamber 16 of the c'asingltl and is in communication withone end of "a coil 25 which is located within said chamber. The oppositeend of the coil extends "outward through the casing 10 as shown at 26.The exhaust from the engine would thus pass outward through themanifold, the pipe 23 and through the coil 25 to the atmosphere, so thatthe heat ofthe exhaust is utilized for heating the chamber 16; Averticalpartition 26 extends" transversely of the chamber 16 above the coil 25.This partition causes water in the chamber 16 to pass downward aroundthe coil 25 during its circulation. I

To further aid the heating in chamber 16 conduit'27 which has oneend incommunicationwith the bottom of the chamber 16.

chamber 16 is also in communication with "there is provided a relativelylarge pipe or the chamber 28 by means of a pipe 29, so that acirculation may be established.

In order to increase the heating capacity of the engine, the front ofthe radiator is provided with a removable cover 30 so as to interruptthe circulation of air.

In use of the invention as a moistener, water in addition to theordinary supply for the circulating system is added to chambers 16 and17, the said water passing from one chamber to the other through thevalves 21 so that a uniform height is established through the chamber.This height may be determined by a glass 31 located upon the outside ofthe casing 10 and in communication with the chamber 16. Heated waterfrom the circulating system will pass from the radiator into the chamber17 and through the valves 21 into the chamber 16 and back through thechamber 17 to the radiator. In addition, the water within the chamber 16will be heated from the exhaust as it passes outward through the coil25, further heating of the water being effected by its circulationthrough the chamber 28. The water as it comes in contact with theexhaust manifold 22 and the radiator reaches a highly heated conditiondue to the interference of the circulation of air through the tractorradiator.

In the form of the invention as shown in Figure 4, a drier is provided.To accomplish this, the cover 11 is removed from the casing 10 and a.cover 32 substituted. This cover 32 is provided with outlet passages orports 33 which extend from the chamber 16,

and a normally closed filling neck 34 which communicates with thechamber 17. In addition, there is provided a conduit 35, which has oneend in communication with the top of the chamber 16, while its oppositeend receives air from the fan 36 of the tractor engine.

' hen used as a drier, water is drained from the casing through a draincook 37 and the valves 21 are closed so as to cut off communicationbetween the chambers 16 and 17. Water from the tractor radiator may thuscirculate between said radiator and chamber 17 but may not enter chamber16. The exhaust from the engine will pass through the coil 25 aspreviously described so as to heat the air within the chamber 16, whileadditional heat will pass into the chamber 16 from the chamber 28. Thefan 36 willoperate to force air through the conduit 35 into the chamber16 and the partition 26 within this chamber will cause the air to passaround the coil 25 in its passage to the outlet ports 33. Freshly heateddry air will thus pass outwardly from the chamber 16, so that the casing10 previously used in the boiler will be converted into an air heatingchamber.

The apparatus arranged either as a stea ing or drying apparatus may berun into the drying or steaming barn or room, so that the heat or steamwill act upon the tobacco, the latter being suitably arranged to receivethe steam or heat in any usual well known manner.

The invention is susceptible of various changes in its form, proportionsand minor details of construction and the right is herein reserved tomake such changes as properly fall within the scope of the appendedclaims.

Having described the invention, what I claim is I 1. The combinationwith an internal combustion engine having a cooling system including afan, of a casing having an outlet port, a heating coilwithin the casing,means connecting the heating coil with exhaust ports of the engine,whereby the exhaust will pass through the coil to heat air in the casingand means for conducting draft from the fan to the casing to force theheated air out through the outlet port.

2. The combination with an internal combustion engine having a coolingsystem including a fan, of a casing having an outlet port, a, heatingcoil within the casing, means connecting the heating coil with theexhaust ports of the engine, whereby the exhaust .will pass through thecoil to heat air within the casing, means for conducting draft from thefan to the casing to force heated air through the outlet port and abaffle wall within the casing between the fan draft conducting means andthe outlet port for directing air from said fan to the heating coil.

3. The combination with an internal combustion engine including aradiator, of a container supported above and having communication withsaid radiator, a partition within the casing for dividing the latterinto a water chamber and a. heat chamber, a coil located within the heatchamber and havingone end in communication with the exhaust manifold ofthe engine and its opposite end open to the atmosphere and conduitsleading from the exhaust manifold and communicating with the interior ofthe heat chamber toprovide hot air circulation through said chamber.

4. The combination with an internal coinbustion engine including aradiator, of a container supported above and having communication withsaid radiator, a' partition within the casing for dividing the latterinto a water chamber and a heat chamber, a coil located within the heatchamber and having one end in communication with the exhaust manifold ofthe engine and its opposite end open to the atmosphere and conduitsleading from the exhaust manifold and communicating with the interior ofthe heat chamber to provide hot air circulation through said chamber andmeans for supplying fresh air to the heat chamber.

5. Means for drying tobacco comprising in combination with an internalcombustion 5 engine, a casing removably mounted upon the engine, saidcasing including separate chambers and a coil and providing a combinedmoistener and drier and means whereby the casing may be operativelyassociated With the engine to receive Water from the 10 engine coolingsystem and heat from the exhaust gases of the engine. In testimonywhereof I afiix m signature.

ORLANDO O. HUM HREY.

